Tom Vilsack, former Governor of Iowa and Co-Chair of Senator Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, thanked the ATU for “getting us where we need to be in America safely and on time.” The union movement’s mantra that “this is the most important election in our lifetime” has never been more true than it is this coming year. In the last seven years, the Bush administration has been the “NO” administration – no oil policy, no success in Iraq, no attempt to fix the health care crisis.

Vilsack explained his reasons for backing Hillary Clinton in one word: experience.

The U.S. used to be the most respected country in the world. Now, other countries are disappointed in our nation for its lack of basic leadership, its failing policies; and its inability to take care of its own people. In closing, Vilsack said, “We need a leader who respects ordinary people, working people,” and asked the delegates to support Clinton for President.

WILLIAM MILLAR

Bill Millar is a friend and frequent speaker at ATU conventions. As President of the American Public Transportation Association, which represents bus, rapid transit and commuter rail systems, he is excited about the fact that public transportation is a growing industry. And the key to keeping up with technological advances within the industry is training. He serves on the board of Community Transportation Center, the CTC, which is offering a new “career ladder” approach to developing better training programs to address the long-term changes that are coming. In that regard, he thanked International Vice President Hykaway for his participation in the CTC. He was very proud of the successful labor/management collaboration APTA has accomplished and assured the delegates that the newly-elected APTA leadership was fully on board.

KEN GEORGETTI

With a union density rate of 32.4 percent in Canada, one of the highest percentages in the world, Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti has reason to be proud. Is his address he spoke about a recent victory. In British Columbia where one agency persisted in trying to privatize health care workers, the court ruled that collective bargaining was a constitutional right which could not be tampered with.

Parliament has also revised its criminal code to include stiff penalties for “corporate killing” by employers who cause death or injury to workers. Raiding of pensions by corporations was also outlawed. During restructuring or bankruptcy proceedings, the company cannot change wage or pension obligations. Georgetti attributed these achievements to the labor movement pressuring government both during and between elections.

Other political activities centered around the notion that wage earners comprise the majority of voters and thus have a lot of clout. Surveys also show that social issues matter to working people. Therefore, union members familiar with bargaining can translate those skills into success during election campaigns. “Our unions in Canada are well organized and motivated,” he said. Among unionized workers, 80 percent went to the polls last year. We must keep up the good work, he said, because “democracies are built by strong unions.”

DANNY THOMPSON

Danny Thompson, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Nevada AFL-CIO, boasted about the fact that every hotel in the city was 100 percent union-built, and that they are all operated by union employees, except for one – the Venetian Hotel. He asked the delegates to patronize only union hotels like Bally’s. He was also very proud about the fact that the minimum wage in Nevada was raised by one dollar an hour last year, and was also tied to the consumer index which will ensure steady increases in the future. With the help of union political activists, the TABOR bill, an initiative to limit tax increases, was defeated. It had cost millions of dollars to mount a campaign against that legislation, but its passage would have been disastrous for the state of Nevada. He urged the delegates to watch out for it in their states.

Credentials Committee – Supplemental Report

An additional 33 individuals were seated, including one alternate replacing a delegate who was unable to serve. A motion to adopt the report was seconded and passed unanimously.

President George read a portion of the President’s Report, after which the delegates were shown video greetings from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). The convention recessed at 3:32 p.m.

COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS

Chair, Martha D. Stevens, L.1464

Laws Committee

Chair, Anthony R. Withington, L.1575

Appeals Committee

Chair, Ron Atkinson, L.1587

Balloting Committee

Chair, Rick Harris, L.308

COPE Committee

Chair, Sharon B. Anderson, L.627

GEB Committee

Chair, Joneth R. Wyatt, L.1091

Int’l President’s Report

Chair, Diane Stambaugh, L.1743

Int’l Secretary-Treasurer’s Report

Chair, Shryl McCormick-Williams, L.26

Organizing Committee

Chair Daniel K. Sundquist, L.1001

Resolutions Committee

Chair, Dennis Antonellis, L.1015

Safety & Security Committee

Chair, Vincent G. Crehan, L.1342